Good Wednesday morning, Florida Playbookers. Yes, somehow the 60-day legislative session somehow won’t end on time Friday because the state House and Senate can’t (yet) agree on health care spending, specifically concerning hospitals. So Monday looks like the day. But who knows? At some point today, the state House votes on the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act,” whose passage isn’t guaranteed. State House Speaker Richard Corcoran and his successor, state Rep. Jose Oliva, are pulling out the carrots and sticks to get it passed.

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REMOVED — “House GOP leaders withholding budget earmarks from gun bill opponents,” by POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon: Rank-and-file Florida House members opposing the heavily-lobbied gun violence bill have had project funding for their districts removed from the budget, according to five House Republican members who have been on the hot seat. A POLITICO analysis found that at least $10 million in House member projects that the House and Senate had agreed to have now been pulled from the emerging bicameral budget proposal. It’s an unusual departure from typical Tallahassee budget negotiations; normally, if a budget item is funded by the House and the Senate agrees to that amount of funding, the issue is closed out and goes into the proposed budget sent to the governor. Read more

WHIP IT — As of mid-day yesterday, 56 of 76 state House Republicans appeared in favor of the Stoneman Douglas bill, according to an early whip sheet that POLITICO obtained. If the number holds, just three of the chamber’s 41 Democrats are needed for final passage. A majority of the Democratic party wants to stake a caucus position in opposition to the bill, but it’s hard to see how no one peels, especially now that the families of all 17 shooting victims have urged lawmakers to pass the bill.

BY A THREAD — “Cliffhanger vote looms as dads of mass shooting victims help whip GOP votes,” by POLITICO Florida’s Arek Sarkissian and Marc Caputo: For hours, the Republican majority rejected Democratic amendments that, among other things, sought to ban assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition magazine, closing the “gun show loophole” or a memorial to the victims of Florida’s worst mass shooting, the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. In all, Democrats offered nearly 40 amendments to the bill. All the amendments failed. Read more

PARENTAL PLEA — “Marjory Stoneman Douglas families to Florida House: Pass the gun bill,” by POLITICO Florida’s Marc Caputo: "You must act to prevent mass murder from ever occurring again at any school. This issue cannot wait," the families wrote in a letter sent to legislators Tuesday. The letter was obtained by POLITICO. "The moment to pass this bill is now. We must be the last families to suffer the loss of a loved one due to a mass shooting at a school,” the statement says. “We demand action by the entire Florida Legislature to keep our schools safe. Vote ‘YES’ on SB 7026 — Public Safety. This Time Must Be Different!” Read more

MESSAGE IN A JAR — “Senators receive jars full of tar and feathers after Monday gun control vote,” by POLITICO Florida’sAlexandra Glorioso and Matt Dixon: Roughly a dozen Florida state senators who supported a sweeping gun control bill Monday have received small jars of tar and feathers at their offices from unknown senders. “They are tiny jars full of feathers with poop emojis in them,” said state Sen. René García, a Hialeah Republican who supported the bill. Garcia sponsored an amendment that watered down a provision to train and arm school staff, including teachers … NRA’s top Florida lobbyist, Marion Hammer, said the organization was not behind the jars. “First I’m hearing of it,” she said. Read more

HERE COME THE LAWSUITS — “Two Stoneman Douglas shooting survivors take first steps to sue,” by Sun Sentinel’s Lisa J. Huriash, Paula McMahon, Megan O'Matz and Tonya Alanez: “The number of people taking their first steps to sue over the Parkland school shooting is growing. The law firm representing Kyle Laman, a wounded student, on Monday sent a letter of its intent to file a claim against the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, the Broward School Board and other defendants. Kyle, 15, is the second student to file notice. Separately, student survivor Anthony Borges, 15, and his parents notified Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry in a two-page letter of their intent to sue. The notice claims negligence on the parts of Broward County Public Schools, Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ principal and its school resource officer.” Read more

WHERE THE MONEY’S AT — “Mass killer’s mother’s estate up for grabs: ‘Capable’ administrator sought,” by Palm Beach Post’s Alexandra Seltzer: “The attorney for Lynda Cruz’s estate has asked the court to name an independent, ‘capable’ person as the administrator instead of Nikolas Cruz, his brother Zachary Cruz or Rocxanne Deschamps, the Lantana-area woman who took in the boys after their mother died. Deschamps and Zachary Cruz had asked a probate judge to be named administrators of Lynda Cruz’s estate. A hearing regarding that petition was scheduled for last Thursday but attorney Audra Simovitch canceled it.” Read more

WHY IS OREGON FASTER? — “Oregon governor signs first gun law since Florida massacre,” by AP’s Andrew Selsky:Read more

… NON-GUN NEWS …

STUCK — “Hospital funding stalemate makes session extension more likely,” by POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon and Alexandra Glorioso: The allocation of hundreds of million of dollars in health care funding has bogged down House and Senate budget negotiators, who are beginning to lose hope that they can complete a budget by Friday, the scheduled end to this year's legislative session. The state constitution requires a 72-hour “cooling off period” between when the budget is delivered to members and a final vote, so a budget would have to be sent to members before midnight Tuesday night. Most years, there is a final budget meeting held to formally close on the budget. Those budget meetings must come with a one-hour notice, making for an even tighter timeline. There must also be time to physically build a budget after negotiations are complete, a process that can take a few hours. The process must be completed by midnight Tuesday night in order for the legislative session to end on time Friday, a feat that seems increasingly unlikely. Read more

DONE — “Senate approves contentious trauma center bill,” by POLITICO Florida’s Alexandra Glorioso: A bill to overhaul Florida's trauma system, a source of debate among hospitals and states for years, has been unanimously approved by both the House and Senate. The Senate on Tuesday voted 34-0 to pass the House version of the bill, FL HB1165 (18R). The House had unanimously approved its bill on Monday. "After at least a decade of intense dispute over our trauma system, I think you can feel good about the product that you have and that this will lead to a system that best serves your constituents," state Sen. Dana Young (R-Tampa) told her colleagues just before the Senate floor vote. She sponsored the Senate version of the bill. Read more

OPIOID FUNDING AND THE STATE BUDGET — The state Senate and House are set to debate final opioid legislation this week. POLITICO Florida Pro’s essential explainer details Gov. Rick Scott’s original proposal, the competing bills from each chamber and more. Download now.

STILL ALIVE — “Senate amends, passes beach access bill,” by POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie: A House bill that attempts to rein in local ordinances providing for broad public access to beaches as a legal “customary use” was amended by the Senate and sent back to the other chamber. FL HB631 (18R) addresses an ordinance in Walton County passed in response to property owners putting up barriers to beach access. It’s now up to the House to take action on the bill with only a few days left in this year’s session, which ends March 9. Read more

NO NO-KNEEL RULE — “Steve Ross refutes report, has ‘no intention’ of forcing Dolphins players to stand during anthem,” by Sun Sentinel’s Dave Hyde: “Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross said Tuesday he would not make players stand during the national anthem, refuting a report out of New York on Monday night. ‘I have no intention of forcing our players to stand during the anthem and I regret that my comments have been misconstrued,’ Ross said in a statement to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I’ve shared my opinion with all our players: I’m passionate about the cause of social justice and I feel that kneeling is an ineffective tactic that alienates more people than it enlists.” Read more

WOOF! — “Trump blocks access to puppy mill inspections as Florida weighs dog store legislation,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Contorno: “In May of last year, the Tampa Bay Times asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide the three most recent inspections of 15 puppy breeders who supply Tampa-area stores. It took nine months, but the reply arrived last week: 54 pages of total blackout. Every word of every inspection — from the date to the violations — were redacted from the documents provided. Providing “personnel and medical files,” the agency said, would ‘constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.’” Read more

HER TOO — “Florida woman who dated Roy Moore – and called him a liar – running for state House,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Alex Leary: “A Palm Beach County woman who once dated failed Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is running for state House, declaring ‘the past 5 months have crystallized what's been coming to me for a decade more gradually— the Republican Party is no longer the right fit for me.’ ‘I am proudly running as a Democrat. I have held numerous leadership positions throughout my life, from president of student clubs to president of professional organizations,’ Deborah Wesson Gibson said in a fundraising appeal. Gibson, of Delray Beach, said she’ll run for the seat held by Republican Rep. Bill Hager.” Read more

BECAUSE MIAMI GARDENS — “She was suspended after saying she was sexually assaulted at school. Her mom asks why,” by Miami Herald’s Kyra Gurney: “A Miami Gardens mother says Miami-Dade schools police mishandled sexual assault allegations made by her 14-year-old daughter and pressured the teen into saying the on-campus encounters were consensual. After her daughter told a teacher at Carol City Senior High last fall that she had been sexually assaulted in a school bathroom, a schools police officer questioned the teen for hours without notifying her parents, the mother says. The girl wrote a statement describing the alleged assaults, including crying during one of the incidents and telling one of the boys involved to stop as she ‘got him by his jacket and pushed him back.’” Read more

LET THERE BE LIGHT! — “Florida Legislature OKs year-round daylight saving time,” by Herald-Tribune’s Zac Anderson: “Florida lawmakers have a message for Congress: The Sunshine State wants the sun to shine later in the day. A bill aimed at keeping Florida in daylight saving time year-round cleared the Florida Legislature on Tuesday and heads to Gov. Rick Scott for approval. Sarasota state Sen. Greg Steube filed the legislation after hearing from his barber about how annoying it is to switch between standard time and daylight saving time. The barber has young children and was having trouble getting them up for school after adjusting the clocks by an hour. Steube’s bill asks Congress to pass legislation permitting Florida to stay in daylight saving time all year. Federal law currently allows states to opt out of daylight saving time and stay in standard time, but does not allow year-round daylight saving time.” Read more

JUSTICE DELAYED — “Florida puts voting right requests on hold due to lawsuit,” by AP: “Due to a legal battle, Florida is putting on hold requests by former prisoners who are asking to get their voting rights restored. A federal judge in February ruled that the state’s system of restoring voting rights to ex-felons is arbitrary and unconstitutional. But U.S. District Judge Mark Walker hasn’t yet ruled on what should be done to change the system. Gov. Rick Scott and three other statewide officials are holding a clemency meeting on Thursday. But they’re not taking any action on requests from 62 ex-felons to have their rights restored.” Read more

VLAD’S BOYS — “Real estate developers ran out of waterfront property. Now they might want to buy yours,” by Miami Herald’s Rene Rodriguez: “When Jesus Urdaneta paid $500,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bath unit in a modest condo building in Brickell, he thought he had found the perfect place for him and his wife to raise their three kids: A quiet cul-de-sac with little traffic, close proximity to Interstate 95 and Coconut Grove, and beautiful views of Biscayne Bay and the Rickenbacker Causeway. But six months later, just as the family had settled into their new digs at 175 SE 25th Rd., Urdaneta got an offer he couldn’t refuse: The Russian developer and businessman Vladislav Doronin, chairman and CEO of the real estate firm OKO Group, wanted to buy Urdaneta’s 1,800-square-foot condo — for a whopping $1.1. Million.” Read more

DEADLY TRAIN — “Silencing Brightline: One-fourth of crossings to get no improvements,” by Palm Beach Post’s Jennifer Sorentrue and Mahima Singh: “At 20 of 80 railroad crossings in Palm Beach County no upgrades will be made to keep motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians from maneuvering around lowered warning gates despite plans to silence train horns along the rail line now hosting the high-speed Brightline passenger service. Less than half the crossings will have the most restrictive safety barrier, known as quad gates, to cover all lanes of traffic on both sides of the tracks. The gates, at big intersections such as Forest Hill Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue, create a fully closed barrier to block people from entering the crossing when a train is approaching. Another 20 crossings will have curbed-concrete medians, a safety feature that makes it more difficult for cars to maneuver around gates — even if they are not quad gates. Twelve will have both medians and quad gates.” Read more

HOSPITAL WARS — “Contract talks stall for Florida Blue and Sarasota Memorial,” by Herald-Tribune: “The health insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield has notified its local policyholders that if negotiations with Sarasota Memorial Hospital are not successful by April 1, the entire health care system -- including the First Physicians Group and urgent care centers -- will be out-of-network at that time. The insurer has sent out notices directing its customers to the six other hospitals in Manatee and Sarasota counties, and its online provider directory at floridablue.com. But a spokeswoman for Sarasota Memorial said Monday that hospital leaders are ‘optimistic’ that a new contract will be agreed on before the end of March. Standoffs like this between large insurers and health care providers are increasingly common, and are typically resolved after a period of uncertainty.” Read more

… ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN …

— “In his South Beach closet: rifle with a scope, sawed-off shotguns and a crossbow,” by Miami Herald’s Charles Rabin:Read more

CROCODILE! — “Remember the crocodile on the beach? She’s back in Hollywood,” by Sun Sentinel’s Susannah Bryan: “She grabbed our attention when she swam onto Hollywood beach. And now the crocodile that held court in front of a gawking throng of tourists and locals has resurfaced, this time in a gated community in Hollywood that borders the Intracoastal. Mark Parry, the lead crocodile response agent for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, confirmed it’s the same croc that drew a crowd on the beach in November.” Read more

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